Logan Cartrette

UWRT Thesis

Technology is a thing that is always advancing. Humans have been always improving

technology through time as tools for education. The more we discover, the more we can do with

technology, the more we strive to advance it farther. But is that always a good thing? Is it

possible that we have now advanced technology so far that it has become a distraction from our

learning? Our technology now is voice activated and push-of-a-button. And then we have social

media which millions of people feel like they have to check every 5 minutes or they get anxious

and feel like they are missing out on something. Especially with how we get our news,

government updates and most communication from online. There are many ways to discover

how technology has changed and how we use it in our daily lives. What is technology in

education? Is it a tool? A distraction?

I have been using technology all my life. In kindergarten we did everything with paper

and pencil but I can’t remember a time when there wasn’t a phone, computer and tv that I could
Logan Cartrette
UWRT Thesis

get to. The first time I ever touched a computer was when I was 6 months old. My grandpa used

to help me get on the computer and play games that were supposed to help me learn. I learned

shapes, colors, numbers, letters, short words and many other things that kids would learn. But in

parts of the games, I would easily get distracted doing things that didn’t pertain to learning any

material. I just wanted to have fun. The game was called JumpStart Preschool. I wanted to ride

the roller coaster I unlocked 15 times or play the bumper kart game I unlocked. I would not

advance to the next area in JumpStart until I got so bored of playing the same thing in the first

area. At the same time because it was a game I was learning more quickly than the other kids that

were my age. Technology can be a help and a burden when it comes to learning. How has

technology affected you during learning?

Logan Cartrette
UWRT Thesis

IT has principle strengths such as being able to tend to a variety of learning styles quickly

and efficiently. It encourages participation by making it easier and more interesting for those

trying to learn. The article “Whose Learning Is It Anyway?” by Malcolm A. Bell & Ian W.

Coultas gets deeper into this. The case study that explores the impact of an information

technology module within a teacher mentor training. Some issues came up during the study

though that showed people weren’t taking ownership of their learning. “Our data suggest that

learning becomes powerful when the learner takes ownership.” They found in the study that if

you find a technology tool that helps make learning easier for you then your learning increases

significantly.

There are millions of stars in the sky, and millions of colors in the universe. Each one is

different in it’s own way, and each one defines itself. Technology is like colors and stars, some

can be similar but each one is different and defines themselves in their own way. When

technology is used effectively it can do so much more. Torrey Trust, a journalist for Digital

Learning in Teacher Education, says “Technology should break down the walls of the classroom

and empower students to become global collaborators.” She makes the point that we need to

practice using technology with our current teachers so that our future teachers can have a role

model for using technology in their classrooms. “Our data suggest that learning becomes

powerful when the learner takes ownership.” says Trust. “We need to collaboratively conduct

research with teachers to examine what technology affords in classroom settings and identify

ways technology can advance education.” The wrong technology can be substituted as a different

tool for a similar teaching practice or is used because a school requires it. But when we

maximize the potential of technology it gives us much better results. If we research technology

more we can do more to improve it’s efficiency.

Logan Cartrette
UWRT Thesis

Some schools have still yet to advance their technology past the basic level in the

classroom setting. Alan Kay, noted fellow of Apple Computer, has equated this with pencil

usage: "Imagine a school with a limited number of pencils," he says. "Then imagine that all the

pencils are kept under lock and key in a single room where students may use them for only an

hour or two each week." This is a little ridiculous when using pencils because we have so many

but the same concept applies with computers. Not everyone has the same access to technological

benefits as others because of which school they may or may not attend. In some schools

everyone gets a calculator and a laptop while in others you are lucky to get a spare pencil.

Software and hardware technologies should be introduced in more settings for more opportunity

and also more research.

Logan Cartrette
UWRT Thesis

Technology is not going to stop, there is no limit to the advancement of technology. Mini

computers such as calculators have enables the entire school population to master higher math

concepts, such as equation solving and applications of functions. Because in the past, most

students were confined to the basic math applications with step-by-step skills such as

multiplication, factoring, and algebraic manipulation. Calculators have allowed learning higher

maths such as calculus possible. The technology provides instant connections between data,

graphs, and equations. It eliminates the small steps for us so we can focus on the bigger picture.

For example, instead of focusing on 2x=4y-2, we can use the technology to help us calculate the

gravitational pull on an airliner jet, modern-world situations. Many programs have been

developed for the math classroom to assess students understanding of the math concepts

presented. The assessments are usually in a multiple choice format. Students can work

backwards from the answers instead of adequately demonstrating the assessed objective. This

leads to inflated test grades, which gives a false sense of accomplishment to the students and a

false sense of student understanding to the teacher.

Logan Cartrette
UWRT Thesis

To many people technology is an inspiration. It makes them feel like they can do things

that they couldn’t accomplish before. To some people, like myself, technology provides an

opportunity such as future jobs in the field. People are inspired to learn technology for

technologic jobs. With the advancement of our technology, more job opportunities arise

everyday and more studies become available to students. Students have such a vast accessibility

to so many tools of and for learning and it gets them so excited to learn. There are so many

different things right at our fingertips. Technology can be such a powerful tool in so many

aspects of life. So many opportunities for people arise when you have instant connection to

everyone always.
Logan Cartrette
UWRT Thesis

Technology allows people to communicate scores to the world and share ideas with each

other instantly. For example, teachers are able to join communities online where they can share

lesson plans and worksheets that they can use for their classes. They can share what works best

in the classroom and spread that information to other teachers. The same is true with students. If

they don’t understand a concept, there are tutors online that are dedicated to helping them. At

the same time, so many people have become dependent on it. People don’t know how to function

when their technology malfunctions or the wifi goes out. With the benefits comes the

consequences. I believe that we need technology, regardless of what we think technology is. It is

a very powerful resource.

Logan Cartrette
UWRT Thesis